CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Claire Keenan is going to change the world.
Well, she didn’t exactly say she was. Then again, some of the most successful people are the humblest.
However, after understanding who she is on a deeper level, it was obvious that the 18-year-old didn’t have to advocate that for herself because you just know the type.
Who is Claire Keenan?
Keenan worked as an intern over the summer for Global Relations at Illinois International after graduating from University Laboratory High School (Urbana) in May 2024.
It was her second internship she had over the summer. The first was in the Champaign County Clerk’s Office.
Keenan said when she first learned about the internship opportunity with Global Relations, she jumped at it because of her interest in working in an office setting.
It was something she said she wanted to learn about.
“My only job before (the internship) was working at the Sholem Pool, so this was a very different environment," Keenan said. "I learned about what you can wear in an office setting and how to talk to your coworkers. Having the colleagues that I had made it easy for me because I was never made to feel embarrassed about how I acted or what I said. I think that’s been the most valuable lesson that I’ll take everywhere I go.”
Keenan spent her internship inside the International Studies Building on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus and worked alongside the Global Relations team. She said the overall experience was something she never expected because the role challenged her in new ways.
She said after her short time with Global Relations, she said she was able to take away valuable insight.
How Did it Go?
Keenan’s role at Global Relations went beyond providing minor assistance. She received hands-on experience, which she said was one of her favorite parts of the internship.
For example, she said she was given the opportunity to create informational materials that were used by an Illinois delegation traveling to Singapore. Illinois Chancellor Robert Jones was in that delegation.
“I was able to make some materials for the chancellor and that team to read for their trip to Singapore. I’m happy I was able to write the information they used on where they were traveling to and the universities they were working with and the history. I’m happy I was able to make something they read,” she said.
In addition to this, Keenan was also tasked with conducting country reports and protocol guides, which she said she enjoyed doing.
However, Keenan said the most fun she had was being able to get lunch with her coworkers.
“We would go to different restaurants and…it was just a lot of fun to be able to sit down for meals with them every week,” she said.
Lifelong Advice from Lifelong Connections
Keenan’s desk was inside Shirice Harris' office. Harris is the partnership coordinator for Global Relations, and since Keenan and Harris worked closely together, the two said they became close.
“Claire was an amazing intern, and she will do well in life,” Harris said in a July 25 email. “She was great to work with, a very quick learner, adaptable, organized, witty, motivated, professional, and proficient while still very personable. I am a member of the Claire fan club.”
But Keenan being in Harris’ office during her internship wasn’t the sole reason the two became close. The other reason was because Keenan was going to attend Harris’ alma mater— Howard University in Washington, D.C.
Keenan said Harris gave her all sorts of advice about college, something that was extra special coming from Harris.
“She went to Howard and has given me lots of good advice on that,” Keenan said. “She’s been sending me emails about different brunches during homecoming, and different things to do and it’s just so great to have her help…I’m so happy to have the actual connections that I’ve made because even though I’m going to what is now considered an elite school…I feel like I can actually say that I'm 'in' because of all these connections that I have.”
Harris said that she is elated that Keenan is going to attend her alma mater and is happy to welcome her into the HU Bison family.
“I have spoken with her about my experiences as a student there—both good and bad—and shared advice about ensuring that she advocates for herself especially when she is dealing with administrative issues,” Harris said. “She will grow, learn, and thrive on campus. I already know it.”
Harris said meeting someone who is just starting their Howard journey when she herself started her journey 20 years ago in August 2004 was a full circle moment.
“We bonded over how great Howard is, what it felt like to get accepted, how each of us first fell in love with HU,” Harris said. “It is fortuitous to have this moment to share with someone who is experiencing a major life transition, and I feel lucky to be able to share advice with her.”
Howard Bound
Going to Howard was always in the books for Keenan.
She said after attending Uni High on the Illinois campus for five years, she was ready to leave Champaign-Urbana. When she visited Howard, she knew that was her school.
“I was really excited, even from the first time I visited the campus. I thought, ‘this might be the place that I want to go for the next couple of years,’” she said. “It felt like home.”
She said she’s going to major in marketing, but she also said that’s still up in the air because she knows that she’ll be a different person in four years or even six months after living on her and getting a feel for what she wants in life.
“I’m going to start doing all these things that I’ve never done before so I’m very open to changing my major, even changing out of the school of business,” she said. “But I’ve always loved working and having a job. I know that I want to work and make my own money, and I want to be self-sufficient. Honestly, there’s so much I can do.”
Keenan said she’s beyond excited to attend Howard because she’ll be a part of a strong and vibrant legacy.
However, she said she’s especially looking forward to fall 2024 because she’ll also be part of history in the making.
“It’s going to be even more exciting now that a Howard graduate is on the (November presidential election) ballot and with the election happening it’s going to be crazy to be in D.C. as a freshman in college,” Keenan said referencing Kamala Harris, the 2024 democratic presidential nominee. “I mean the fact that there’s a black woman on the ballot is just unthinkable…because I have family members who didn’t use to be able to vote, like my grandma…now, she’s going to be voting for a black woman for president and it’s just completely unthinkable that someone who looks like me and went to the school I’m going to might be the leader of the free world.”
Harris offered one more piece of advice to Keenan as she transitions to college life and takes on D.C.
“Trust your instincts, connect with others, and experience as much as possible. Truly enjoy your college years both the academic and social aspects,” Harris said. “Just be open to the nuances of it all like being at the mecca of Black intelligentsia, the capstone way up on hilltop high, and the alma mater of our next possible president of our country. All of that, is amazing.”
Analicia Haynes is the storyteller and social media specialist for Illinois International. She can be reached at ahayn2@illinois.edu.